Fast facts: Project management (PM)

Q How diverse is PM?

Project management (PM) is extraordinarily diverse.

Not only can you be a generalist or specialist within industry or a discipline, but there are opportunities to work at anything from a package level to a portfolio and program level, allowing you to develop different skills and different perspectives within the industry and practice.

PM is about applying a skill-set and methodology to different client problems. Project management is as diverse as our client base. Each individual project will have its challenges and different focuses driven by the individual stakeholders so no project will be the same as another.

Working in PM is an avenue accessible to people from various backgrounds. People with different education and work experience can all bring different twists to the same problems. It makes for an interesting and collaborative way to take on problems. PMs come from so many different backgrounds; it is not only people who are formally trained in project management that can thrive in the industry.

At RPS, we work across a diversity of projects; you could be working on a Defence project, at the National Gallery of Australia, or building the Australian High Commission at Tuvalu, one of our Polynesian neighbours!

Q What's surprising or unexpected about working in PM?

The impact communication can have on the quality and efficiency of a project. Effective communication isn't given the amount of credit it deserves with respect to the success of a project. Being a strong communicator allows project managers to easily navigate through so many obstacles, and often helps solve issues before you may even be aware there is a problem.

Other surprises: you can expect quick changes in scope or funding. Working specifically in the Defence space there are always changing priorities and funding availability which can have an impact on the direction of the project. Adapting to these changes while keeping the project on track can be a significant challenge.

There are countless unexpected scenarios from change in regulations to new requirements from stakeholders. PMs will deal with plenty of surprising scenarios in the field. At RPS. We’ve tackled land dispute issues in the Pacific that restrict access to sites, dust and humidity control issues within a world class Art Gallery; with the potential to damage priceless artworks, and discovering a previously unknown critically endangered ecological environment in the middle of a military training area.

Another surprising element is the diversity in stakeholders. The stakeholder interaction and the emotion that comes along with specific projects has a different impact on PM’s every time. 

Q What's a day-in-the-life of a PM like?

PM is, at its core, complex problem solving and there is no shortage of complex problems out there!

Project management is challenging, engaging, and rewarding. And a day in the life of a PM is rarely the same. Each project has its own unique challenges and even the routine aspects of the job are made interesting through changing environments, stakeholders, and the project lifecycle.

You need to be a great problem-solver, dynamic and responsive to client needs, as well as adaptive and collaborative.

Every day can be very different depending on the project you are working on. One day you may be simply organising meetings with a wide range of attendees, other days you might be attending site, sometimes you will spend time reading through design reports, and sometimes you will be negotiating contract changes/disputes.

There is a lot of administrative work to do from reporting, running meetings and preparing approval documents. It is not all inspecting the site or discussing the design requirements. Most of the time is spent managing the stakeholders/contractors.

Every project is different and has its own challenges to solve but they all follow the same lifecycle at the end of the day. This provides an everchanging working environment with an underlying consistent skillset.

The greatest challenge in project management is uniting a diverse stakeholder group toward a common goal. Another challenge is balancing the scope, budget, and schedule against client expectations.

PM is a great career with so much opportunity for growth and change. Working in project management offers the opportunity to lead impactful projects, collaborate with diverse teams, and see the tangible results of your efforts. It's a role that combines leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills. You can contribute to the management of large projects valued more than $100m, and more.

What’s fascinating about PM is: 

• Having to cultivate a deep understanding of our clients’ core business so we can ask the right questions to solve the problems they haven’t articulated.

• Design! Having the opportunity to work on the design component of facilities is very rewarding. It’s creative problem solving and allows for a better understanding of the users, client, and generally the thought process behind everyday buildings.

• Engaging in subject matter that you never thought you would become an expert in.

• Leading cross-functional teams to solve complex problems under tight deadlines.

• Trends! An exciting trend right now is streamlining existing processes such as procurements to take on slightly more risk, and to save time.

Q What’s a little-known fact about PM?

• The first official use of the title ‘Project Manager’ was during the Manhattan Project during World War II. It was a massive effort to develop the atomic bomb, and the role of the project manager was crucial in coordinating the work of scientists, engineers, and other experts.

• It’s important for PMs to keep up to date with general news and current affairs, not just PM specific news, so they can understand external impacts to their project(s). 

Q Who’s a hero/living legend in the field of PM?

General James Mattis’s leadership in complex environments has had a significant impact on project management and leadership, especially in the military context.